


Laid in that White Rush

by Pottergalval



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Newt Scamander, F/M, Hogwarts, Multi, Pre-Canon, Sex-Repulsed Newt Scamander, Slut Shaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:02:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9200207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pottergalval/pseuds/Pottergalval
Summary: An exploration into the relationship between Newt Scamander and Leta Lestrange and the lasting influence it has on Newt. Based on my headcanon that Leta's position as an outsider is centered around ideas of slut-shaming and the Lestrange family's practice of intermarriage with pure-blood cousins. Story begins at Hogwarts and will end a little after the movie does.More pairings and warnings to come with additional chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work is a phrase from Yeat's poem 'Leda and the Swan.' I always thought Leta Lestrange's name was spelled "Leda" after the Greek myth, and even though it apparently isn't, I'll still be borrowing themes from that story.

Sex baffled Newt Scamander. Yes, he could understand the act in _concept_ ; this knowledge was rather helpful in his line of work, especially whilst trying to wrangle horny erumpants. But he never had any desire to perform it. The other boys in his dormitory were positively obsessed with sex by their third year. It was yet another divide that formed between Newt and his peers.

He was in the library when he first met _her_. Newt was nestled on the floor between two haphazard piles of textbooks, his nose stuck in the one on bowtruckles open in his lap. As he made to turn the page, Newt started at the sound of rustling robes and heavy breaths before a couple crashed around the corner into his row. A girl with a black fishtail braid and almond skin pushed her male companion against the shelf opposite Newt. Her fingers clutched the boy’s Slytherin scarf and pulled him into a snog that Newt swore made even his toes blush. When they finally broke apart, the witch stroked the boy’s cheek with her fingernails, before sinking to her knees.

Newt gave an awkward squeak.

Leta Lestrange whipped her head around, heavy-lidded eyes wide. Her brief moment of surprise morphed into a lopsided smirk.

“Sorry to intrude, love. Care to join us?”

Newt’s squeak rose an octave, but couldn’t manage to transform into comprehensible speech. The other boy didn’t seem to have this problem.

“What the fuck??” Newt turned to the wizard. He recognized him as Phineas Black, Slytherin prefect. The older boy glared at Leta, straightening his tie.

“You fucking slut,” Phineas hissed. His gaze darted frantically between Newt and Leta. “If you say a word about this, Hufflepuff, I swear to Merlin I’ll curse your bollocks off. As if I’d ever get myself involved with this inbred whore.”

Black stormed off, leaving Newt and Leta in silence.

“I-” Newt started.

“Don’t.” she snapped, hugging her knees to her chest.

Newt gave a quick nod and stuck his nose back in his book. He did his best to block out the sounds of his new companion’s tears.

_The Bowtruckle, which eats insects, is a peaceable and intensely shy creature, but if the tree in which it lives is threatened, it has been known to leap down upon the woodcutter or tree-surgeon attempting to harm its home and gouge at their eyes with its long, sharp fingers._

A weight on his shoulder startled Newt back to reality. Leta had rested her head there, still sniffling, and was reading along. The wizard was taken aback, but found that the company was not unwelcome. He relaxed, and the pair read together until dinnertime. As they moved to their separate house tables, Newt assumed he would never speak to the girl again.

But the next day, when Newt returned to his spot in the library, Leta was there, holding out a book on Nifflers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire crabs, feelings, and friends

“Newton?”

Newt was sitting in the middle of an aisle, facing the wall that rested perpendicular. He had no less than five textbooks open at a time, all of varying sizes, colours, and levels of wear and tear. Phoenixes soared between the pages, and faint growling sounds could be heard under the weight of the chapters. Newt held the feather of his quill between his teeth between spurts of frantic note taking. Leta lounged against one of the shelves with her feet in Newt’s lap, her thighs propped on the piles of books between them. She had slowly gotten through the niffler book—she thought the creatures were quite adorable, not to mention dead useful. However, Leta was, at this moment, leisurely scanning a copy of _Witch Weekly_ when she broke their companionable silence.

Newt looked up, “Yes?”

“What exactly is it with you and magical creatures?”

Newt looked down. “Um, well, I’ve told you, Leta. They’re fascinating.”

“Yes, but _why_?” Leta shot back, impatiently. “I can see why you might find, say, nifflers to be interesting, but fire crabs? Why in Merlin’s name would you want to learn about _them_??”

Newt was taken aback. He found fire crabs to be far more intriguing than nifflers. He rummaged through a nearby pile of books.

“Look,” he said, opening up a brown, leather volume to the section on fire crabs. He began to read, _“The fire crab is a large, six-legged creature native to Fiji. It resembles a turtle with crab-like pincers and is notable for being able to shoot fire out of its rear.”_

Newt looked at Leta, expectantly.

“What?” she said. “They sound awful.”

Newt grimaced. “But that’s _all there is_! In every book I’ve found, that’s all I can find about fire crabs. Just different variations of the same idea: shoots fire out of its butt, looks vaguely like a turtle. And it’s the same with so many other magical creatures! There _has_ to be more!”

“But, Newton, _why do you care?_ ”

“Look, there’s no denying that some creatures, like the unicorn, are invaluable to the wizarding world. You wouldn’t have your wand without them, Leta. But once you have a creature with fire coming out of its butt, everyone looks the other way. Why not study that, too? Otherwise you’ll have no idea if it’s just as useful, just as _sophisticated_.”

Leta’s eyes showed a spark of understanding, but Newt could tell that he still wasn’t getting his point across. He clenched his hands together.

“Magical creatures—and all animals really—they make sense. They do what they need to survive, to ensure the protection of their species. They mate, they care for their young, they hunt. They don’t let emotions get in the way of their judgments. Humans-” Newt took a breath. “Humans are emotional, power-driven, unpredictable. They so often fill a world that doesn’t belong to them with destruction and prejudice. And they spurn those who may be just a little bit different from them.” Newt felt tears pushing at his eyes. Why was it so important to him that Leta understand this?

“Hey.” Newt realized that Leta’s hand was now on his shoulder. She gave it a small squeeze. “Not all people are like that.”

Newt looked up at his companion and saw concern on her face. Somehow, in just a few short weeks, he had found himself the most improbable of friends. He crossed his arm over his chest to put his hand on hers. “No, not _all_ people.” They smiled at each other.

“Here, let me take another look at that fire crab thing again.”

Newt’s grin broadened as he handed Leta the book. “Ok—here’s the really interesting thing, though. If you look at the sketch, you’ll notice that there’s _something_ on its shell. At first glance, they appear to be spikes, but from my research, I think there’s a strong possibility that they could be jewels or-”

Leta giggled. “Glad to have you back to normal, Newton.”

He blushed. “Can _I_ ask a question now?”

Leta feigned consideration.

“That seems fair.”

“Why do you call me Newton?”

She smirked. “To remind you that I’m different from other humans.”


End file.
